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And yet more Pride with this weekend’s Latino Gay Pride, La Lucha

Another weekend, another reason to be proud in the PacNW. Portland Pride may have been nearly a month ago now but the breakout celebrations continue. This weekend, La Lucha‘s Latino Gay Pride takes over the town with a culmination on Sunday at the Eastbank Esplanade Waterfront.

The fun starts tonight with an Voz Alta: Amor Indocumentado (Undocumented Love), an evening of music and poetry with Edna Vazquez and Joaquin Lopez (details below) and continues with dance parties both Friday and Saturday night. TGIF is the official La Lucha dance party and opener at Boxxes, while Saturday is dedicated to the chicas with a dance party across the river at Crush.

But the main event is Sunday’s epic fiesta, which lasts from noon to 9pm. There’s a host of fabulous DJs and performers such as ChiChi and Chonga the latina stoner satire duo that has has risen to drag stardom in an instant this year at 4. At 6 Under U 4 Men takes the stage and the thought of cholos in chonies makes me weak in the knees.

COMPLETE SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

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Pride NW announces 2011 award winners

Pride in Action award winners Belinda Carroll (L) and Joe LeBlanc

Each year Pride NW gives out 3 awards just prior to Pride season, “Spirit of Pride” Award, Youth Award (22 years old or younger) and the “Pride In Action” Award (for volunteer work in service to the community), in addition to the Grand Marshall honor, which this year goes to La Lucha: Portland Latino Gay Pride.

This year’s Spirit of Pride award goes to former Q Center board member Bob Speltz, for some largely unrecognized behind the scenes work. According to Pride NW President Debra Porta, “As one of the original founders of the Q Center, Portland’s LGBTQ community center, Bob has been instrumental in bringing Portland’s LGBTQ community together in ways that had not happened before, and giving us a home to call our own.”

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